A little more than a month before the start of COP21, the climate conference being held in Paris in December under the aegis of the UN, it is important to examine what action is being taken in the wine world to help protect the climate. While the use of fossil fuels (coal, petrol and gas) may be largely responsible for climate change, every “little action” taken within every wine estate contributes to the collective effort. Today more than ever, small producers and large wine estates must keep up this effort together.
Above and beyond these measures, the wine world is asking itself major questions: what will the real effects of global warming be on a vineyard in 20 years time? By 2050 are we going to see Syrah in the Rhône Valley simply disappear as some predict, only to reappear in Burgundy? Will Kent and Sussex be the regions in which the best sparkling wine in the world is produced in the future? Will Champagne still be Champagne as we know it today? I believe that rather than becoming embroiled in all this conjecture we would do better to take a look at what some major wine-makers are thinking and doing right now.
1) Taking a step back from the conclusions of some studies: In 2013, Michel Chapoutier wrote in the DECANTER‘s Guest Comment section that “the University of Texas study ‘Climate change, Wine and Conservation’ should be taken with a pinch of salt, a sense of humour. The research ignores several key points: first, there is always the opportunity to modify the proportion of different grape varities in any blend. Then, irrigation systems do not exist in Rhone and Bordeaux, therefore roots are more drought resistant. Plus, remember that great French wines were made in 2003 when temperatures were at the highest in our history and well beyond the temperatures expected for the next 50 years.” Read the full Guest Comment.
2) Reviving wine grapes that may resist climate change: In an article published last week in DECANTER, we learn that Spain’s Torres “has brought two red wine grape varieties back from the brink of extinction and believes they could help the group manage the effects of climate change. Many of these are not deemed suitable for use in wine blends, but Torres is already using a couple of ancestral varieties – Querol and Garró – in its Gran Muralles blend. It thinks Moneu and Gonfaus could follow a similar path and may even be useful in dealing with the effects of climate change in Catalonia. ‘The Torres family discovered that these two varieties express their greatest potential in arid climates and under extreme conditions,’ said Torres. ‘Both varieties are extremely drought resistant.” Read more in DECANTER and DRINKS BUSINESS.
3) Tackling the issue of alcohol levels in wine: As head of Axa Millesimes, Christian Seely wrote that the issue was relevant to two regions in particular: Bordeaux and the Douro Valley. “To take first the subject in the context of Bordeaux, it is true that in properties like Château Pichon-Longueville Baron and Château Petit-Village, average natural alcohol levels are higher than they used to be. I would stress that higher acohol levels are never our aim, but rather the logical consequence of the way we work in the vineyards today, which has evolved considerably compared to how it was twenty or more years ago.” Read more in Christian Seely’s blog.
And you, what’s your #COP21 #ClimateAction ? In fact, Cop21 is very much part of the concerns of the wine world and it is for that reason that ahead of this conference we are giving a voice on www.vitabella.fr to all those who contribute to preserving the climate. Our first rendez-vous is on Friday October 16 with Carol Duval-Leroy, winner of La Tribune Women’s Awards’ Green Business prize.
